The Seahawks find themselves in an interesting position coming into the game. With a 5-7 record, the Hawks are not yet out of the playoff hunt for a Wild Card spot. They must find a win tonight in order to stay alive in the race.

Despite an injury to quarterback Tarvaris Jackson that has prevented the Seahawks from throwing the ball effectively since the beginning of October, the team has managed to turn around a flagging season in recent weeks.

They have built up a great deal of momentum behind the powerful running of Marshawn Lynch and a series of stingy defensive performances.

Even if the Seahawks are not able to sneak into the playoffs this season, there will be plenty of positive momentum to build upon heading into the offseason. They blossomed late this season, but this team is ready for prime time.

Meanwhile, the Rams are a team that is headed in the opposite direction. Although quarterback Sam Bradford put together an excellent rookie season, it seems that he has slipped into a bit of a sophomore slump in 2011.

Of course, Bradford’s flagging performance is due in large part to a series of injuries that have plagued the team on both sides of the ball. The injuries have been seemingly unstoppable, and have included Bradford himself as he has struggled with a high ankle sprain.

A midseason trade that brought wide receiver Brandon Lloyd into the fold has paid big dividends, but even that spark hasn’t been enough to make the Rams a team of relevance this season.

At this point in the year, the Rams are out of the playoffs and in a position of playing spoiler. They will have much to play for tonight as they try to snuff out the Wild Card hopes of one of their division rivals.

Stay tuned for live analysis on these topics and more as the Rams and Seahawks battle it out on Monday Night Football.